The Swedish Presidency of the European Union has promised further proposals on immigration by the end of October, Agence Europe has reported.

It said that the promise came in response to calls from calls from Italy.

“We will have a first proposal from the EU with regard to distribution criteri for immigration flows among the 27 (EU member states),” said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt at the annual meeting of the Italian Catholic movement Communion and Freedom in the seaside town of Rimini.

Rome called on EU countries to have a common response to illegal immigration after five Eritrean immigrants who were assisted by the Armed Forces of Malta were assisted to Lampedusa last week.

The five told how they had watched 73 of their travelling companions die.

“All we Europeans, all 27 countries must bear responsibility for these people. We must consider this a European problem,” said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.

“The EU has said much … but has not yet said what should happen when a group of migrants reaches the borders of Europe,” he added, calling on the European Union “to really begin to distribute immigrants who reach the Maltese or Italian coasts, not just throughout Italy and Malta, but to many other countries”.

The European Commission will bring forward a working paper before EU foreign ministers meet at the end of October.

This would only be a first step, Bildt said, since “such a big problem cannot be solved in a single meeting”.